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Never Say 'Never'

Dry Bones

M t.? GRANDPA
ASKED me
WHAT "XUJIS1-1
CONIINUrrte"
MEANS

ny sign of weakness or retreat simply validates
terrorist violence and invites more violence
for all nations," President George W. Bush
said last week on the first anniversary of the invasion of
Iraq. `The only certain way to protect our people is by
early, united and decisive action."
If only it were that simple.
But it isn't, and the President's insistence on a black-
and-white, short-term view of how to deal with terror-
ism serves neither the nation nor the world very well.
He could surely find a more nuanced and effective
approach by simply paying attention to the nation that
has endured the most sustained terror assaults of the
modern era, Israel.
Israel has obviously not stopped the
Palestinian violence nor significantly under-
cut the Arab nations' support for what those
nations insist are resistance fighters and mili-
tants and martyrs. But throughout its 56 7 years, the
Jewish state has repeatedly shown the strength and
determination to survive despite the unrelenting efforts
of its neighbors to wipe it out.
Monday's assassination of the Hamas leader, Sheik
Ahmed Yassin, gave further evidence that Israel is com-
mitted to "decisive action," an affirmation — if any
were needed — that its planned withdrawal from the
settlements in the Gaza Strip is not a sign of weakness
nor a concession to terrorism. But the price of that
action, at least in the near term, will almost certainly
be renewed attacks by Hamas suicide bombers. While
it eliminated a major leader of terrorism, the missile
strike almost guarantees that, for now, Israelis will not
be better protected, as Bush avers.
What the President overlooks is that the terrorists do
not live by the rules of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Whether America brings war to Afghanistan or Iraq is
almost immaterial to Osama bin Laden and his follow-
ers, who seem to positively revel in the deaths of their
coreligionists as much as in the murder of non-
Muslims. Against that nihilism, Western logic fails.
If we are in it for the long haul, we will need to
address the underlying madness of "jihad" in its

Islamist version of seeking death as
the quick route to Paradise. And that
means we have to find ways to
change the hate-filled teachings of
the madrasses and the daily vitupera-
tion that spews from much of the
Arab media. The most effective way
to bring that change would be to
convince the Saudi Arabia monarchy
that it must stop financing the viru-
lent Wahhabi clerics, and doing that
is not going to come from anything
as simple as "early, united and deci-
sive action.''
The President's further
insistence that the coun-
tries that are not with.us
are with the terrorists is
truly wrong-headed. The world
includes a lot of countries that are
strong foes of terrorism but strongly
disapprove of the. President's actions,
including the invasion of Iraq. If we
drive them away with bullying, "my
way or the highway" rhetoric, we will
be losing what can be valuable allies
who may well find better routes to
stopping terror.
The danger of "early, united and
decisive action" is that the action
itself may be the wrong course. We're
glad that Saddam Hussein no longer
rules Iraq and is no longer funneling
money to the families of Palestinian
suicide bombers. But he was not
connected to the 9 11 attacks and lacked the weapons
of mass destruction that would have made him a glob-
al threat. Increasingly, our invasion looks to have been
action primarily for the sake of action. More worri-
some still, it may well have strengthened rather than
weakened the fundamentalist, radical Islamic terrorist
movement around the world.

Anatomy Of A Killing

ical Islamist group opposed to any compro-
But while Arafat feted Yassin, the Hamas
mise or peace with Israel. The organization's
leader made clear his support for war against
charter is full of hatred against Jews using
Israel and opposition to any peace deal.
the most anti-Semitic language. While
When Yassin was allowed to travel abroad,
among Palestinians it engaged in education-
he went to Saudi Arabia and other countries
al and social work to win adherents for its
to raise money for his armed struggle. Even
cause — and principally to identify and
the European Union condemned the actions
psychologically manipulate young people
of Hamas as terrorist.
into becoming suicide bombers — the
After Arafat rejected peace proposals in
BARRY
group's political tactics were terrorist,
2000, Yassin rallied to his side. What fol-
RUBIN
intended to kill the maximum number of
lowed was a 40-month-plus war on Israel
Jerusalem
Israelis.
using anti-civilian terrorism as its main
Post
As a result of his activities, Yassin was
instrument. The decision to launch and con-
jailed by Israel. But Yasser Arafat, the leader
tinue this war — and the strategy used —
of the Palestinian Authority who was simultaneously has brought great suffering and hundreds of casual-
Yassin's main ally and .rival, campaigned for his
ties on both sides. This decision has actually delayed
release. "I know him," Arafat told Israel. "He will
an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and
call for an end to the violence." In 1997, during the
Gaza Strip, brought the destruction of Palestinian
Oslo peace process, Israel gave Arafat's claim a try.
RUBIN on page 37

A

,

EDITORIAL

Jerusalem
y killing Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Israel elimi-
nated the most important terrorist leader
who has been waging war against it. Yassin
always made it clear that he was dedicated to
destroying the State of Israel and killing its citizens
wherever they could be found. He reaped the whirl-
wind he had sown.
Yassin founded Hamas in the mid-1980s as a rad-

B

Professor Barry Rubin is director of the Global
Research for International Affairs (GLOM) Center
and a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in
Herzliya. He is editor of the Middle East Review of
International Affairs (MENA) Journal, the Turkish
Studies Journal and the book "Yasir Arafat: A Political
Biography."

-

We are going to need flexible policies to deal with
the real nuclear threats posed by North Korea and Iran
as well as with the continuing incitement that poisons
most of the Arab states. There may well be times when
strategic retreats, such as the planned Israeli withdrawal
from Gaza, will lessen the likelihood of violence. The
world already knows we are stron& we must also prove
that we are wise. ❑

3/26

2004

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